]]>Everyone’s idea of a once-in-a lifetime trip is different. It’s personal. After all, you’re opening your wallet wider than usual so you want pampering and a highly memorable experience based on your passions. These sort of BC vacations come by the plenty. For some, bliss is watching wildlife up close or luxury small-craft cruising around mystical rainforest islands. Action seekers might crave helicopter skiing or heli-hiking amid towering peaks. And what’s not to love about riding the rails, sipping bubbly amid spectacular scenery—diverse British Columbia offers so many choices. Here’s a few more to add to your champagne bucket list.

In Coastal Forests

Watching bears in the Great Bear Rainforest. Photo: Pete Ryan

Wolves. Grizzly, black and rare white spirit bears. Orcas and humpbacks. Moss-carpeted, primeval and remote, the biologically diverse Great Bear Rainforest is the world’s biggest intact temperate rainforest. Most resorts work with knowledgeable local First Nations to enhance the experience. Many luxury eco-lodges “float” alongside the shore—an exotic experience—and are accessible by boat, helicopter, or float plane.

Great Bear Tours on Vancouver Island is an intimate 10-guest resort nestled at the mouth of a pristine salmon river. Knight Inlet Lodge is a premier grizzly bear viewing hideaway with a backdrop of snow-capped peaks. Their scenic Knight Inlet cruise visits remote waterfalls plummeting from cliff faces where ancient glaciers have carved dramatic paths. Farewell Harbour Lodge is a West Coast-inspired luxury waterfront retreat in Broughton Archipelago, BC’s largest marine park reknowned for its orca population.

Iconic, family-owned Nimmo Bay lodge —which has a waterfall running through the resort—began offering heli-fishing for enthusiastic fishers. Fly-fishers are swooped into remote fishing holes teeming with salmon. It’s also a luxury wilderness adventure base renowned for spoiling its guests.

In the Mountains

Swooping up amid jagged peaks and granite spires by helicopter to ski virgin powder was a BC-based invention by the founder of CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, which has several far-flung, decadent winter heli-skiing and summer heli-hiking retreats in mountainous southeastern BC. Some, like the comfortably casual-luxury Cariboos Lodge even offer Family Adventure packages so that kids too can learn to make turns in champagne powder while mum and dad head off to tackle gnarlier slopes. New for 2018, the Cariboos Lodge will begin offering summer experiences.

At the head of a fjord on central BC’s coast just an hour’s flight north of Vancouver, Tweedsmuir Park Lodge and Bella Coola Heli Sports is vast, easy-access heli-skiing terrain. Stay in private timber chalet luxury near two wild rivers amid the Great Bear Rainforest near Bella Coola. There’s even summer heli-skiing on nearby glaciers—carve turns in the morning and reel in a salmon in the afternoon.

On the Rails

Winding on several routes across BC past waterfalls and over towering bridges towards the breathtaking Rockies, the Rocky Mountaineer is rolling rail luxury with glass-ceiling dome cars, white linen local gourmet cuisine, and BC wines en route to Jasper and Lake-Louise/Banff.

Or, pull out all the stops and charter an entire train for a Rocky Mountain circuit on board the vintage Royal Canadian Pacific. With a fleet of vintage, beautifully restored 1920s business cars that once transported Winston Churchill, King George VI, and US President Roosevelt, you and a group of friends can re-live the rare, ultimate luxury of early train travel.

]]>Multi-coloured wildflowers carpet alpine meadows, brooks bubble with sweet mountain water, and snow-covered peaks are all around when you sleep in BC’s backcountry cabins and lodges. It’s not just the thinner air at altitude that makes hearts race, it’s also hiking and biking in spectacular settings, wildlife sightings, and the fact that you can overnight in remote areas surrounded by 360 degrees of wilderness.

Do-It-Yourself Backcountry Stays

Get back to nature at rustic outposts by hiking on a self-guided adventure into a backcountry cabin or bunk-bed lodge with your own sleeping bag and food to cook in a communal kitchen. BC Parks has a number of backcountry cabins open to the public, each with a varying level of amenities and capacity. Most backcountry huts require registration and only experienced backcountry hikers and campers should hike to these rustic outposts.

Other options include heading to places like Dave Henry Lodge, on the boundary of Mount Robson Provincial Park, and a member of the Backcountry Lodges of BC Association. Sitting at 1,828 m (6,000 ft), this lodge can accommodate up to 10 people and there are options to enjoy this lodge by renting the whole place out, booking a guided but self-catered experience, or opting for a fully catered and fully guided hut to hut hiking experience over seven nights.

The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) also operates one of North America’s biggest network of backcountry huts, everything from family-friendly retreats in alpine meadows to remote climbers’ refuges. Five huts are within BC Parks including Bugaboo Provincial Park’s Conrad Kain Hut. Perched at 2,230 m (7,315 ft), this comfortable modern hut is reached via a steep 3-4 hour hike and is a magnet for international mountaineering and alpine rock climbers drawn to the Purcell Mountains’ spectacular granite spires

Places like Sol Mountain Lodge offer catered options with guided hiking and biking experiences, while Boulder Hut Adventures offers single day and multi-day helicopter access and guided adventures. Cathedral Lakes Lodge is one of Canada’s loftiest full service hiking and fishing wilderness lodge with bungalows and cabins reached via an exciting hour-long 4WD ride to 2,000 m (6,800 ft) in the Southern Okanagan’s Cathedral Provincial Park. Hike over 60 km (40 mi) of maintained trails, visit nearby lakes, and tackle the popular Cathedral Rim Trail for views of the Coast Range and North Cascades. These high up accommodations offer an alpine wonderland cushioned with luxuries.

Higher End Lodges and Luxury Suites

Hop in a helicopter and touch down in alpine paradise on a 3-or 6-day Canadian Mountain Holidays’ guided heli-hiking experience. Spend long summer days hiking untouched mountain ridges and meadows and return to the lap of luxury at the Bobbie Burns, Bugaboos, or Cariboos lodges. Purcell Mountain Lodge and Mistaya Lodge also offer fly-in experiences with freshly prepared gourmet meals by lodge chefs and comfortable private rooms, or option to book a private chalet.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden is crowned by the Eagle’s Eye – Canada’s highest five-star dining experience in the ski resort’s 2,347-metre (7,700- foot) summit lodge. Alongside is a luxurious Eagle’s Eye Suite, complete with a butler and private chef. Spend the day hiking or mountain biking, then own the peak after the gondola shuts down, enjoying a fully-stocked bar, a grand rock fireplace, and the solitude of being the only people sleeping on the mountain.

Alpine Camping at Mountain Resorts

Lift accessed camping at Fernie Alpine Resort. Photo: Nicole Matei

Mix up rustic with luxury by soaring to 1,726 m (5,662 ft) on southeastern BC’s Fernie Alpine Resort’s unique chairlift-accessed glamping experience, complete with a guided hike and s’mores by the campfire. This overnight outing also comes with champagne and a raclette dinner at the Lost Boys Café at the summit. In the morning, after a night in a tent under a star-spangled sky, there’s breakfast with a view before hitting the trails again.

No matter where you go, make sure you are well prepared for your trip into BC’s alpine environment. Even fully-catered and guided experiences still require you to respect the terrain, environment, and other backcountry users and adhere to the three T’s—trip planning, training, and taking the essentials. AdventureSmart is a great resource to get informed before heading outdoors.

]]>Sprawling, H-shaped Shuswap Lake is so synonymous with houseboating it’s called “Canada’s Houseboat Capital”, with operators offering boats that sleep 10 to 30 to prove it. Set in the northeastern corner of British Columbia’s Thompson Okanagan region, Shuswap summers are hot and dry. Though puttering along the lake is a unique, blissful experience, the scenic region has many other options to explore, even on a long weekend.

At lunchtime, spread your foraged local goodies on a picnic table overlooking the water and enjoy the views before heading off to Blind Bay in the afternoon to rent a kayak or standup paddleboard. Or rent a motor boat at the Shuswap Marina to head up to the Cinnemousun Narrows where Shuswap’s arms meet and tie up at the floating Shark Shack restaurant for snacks. Finish up the day sipping a cold one and dining on the patio overlooking the lake at Finz Resort.

Stop for lunch on the lakeview patio at Jack Sam’s restaurant at First Nations owned and operated Quaaout Lodge & Spa on Little Shuswap Lake, then visit the traditional kekuli (underground winter home) or paddle a 12-person voyageur canoe.

Drop in to sample cheeses at Grass Root Dairies and take a tour of the farm. Stroll the streets of folksy Salmon Arm, dropping in at the Arts Centre, boutiques, second-hand bookstores, and artisanal shops. History buffs can grab the Historical Society’s walking tour brochure. Finish off the evening on the patio at Barley Station Brew Pub with a casual meal and locally crafted beer.

Day 3: Relax and Unwind

Begin your lazy day off with a leisurely crepe and coffee at the harbourfront Cafe Tasse before strolling the lakeside to the wharf in Salmon Arm—watching for rare birds and resident otters—and treat yourself to ice cream at the wharf’s end. Drive just outside town for an easy and beautiful forest stroll to Margaret Falls in Herald Provincial Park.

Settle into lunch at Salmon Arm’s Shuswap Pie Company, featured on the Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here for their made-from-scratch pies like steak and stout, made using Crannóg Ales’ Back Hand of God Stout.

Lounge on Canoe Beach—the closest to the city—or to Blind Bay’s great beaches: Pebble Beach with swim docks or Sandy Beach for sandcastles. Wind down the day over a DIY beachside barbecue or head for the lively Bahama John’s Seafood and Rib Shack—the perfect place to sip a cocktail watching houseboats come and go as the sun makes its way to the horizon.

The waves are a major draw at Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn. Image: Sander Jain

The concept of celebrating winter storms, rather than avoiding them, was the brainchild of Charles McDiarmid of Tofino’s oceanfront Wickaninnish Inn. He grew up loving wild weather and figured others, too, would revel in braving the Pacific gales that send giant breakers thundering onto Vancouver Island’s long, west coast beaches.

He was right. That’s why the Wick Inn supplies slickers and gumboots that dehydrate in a special drying space outside their Driftwood Café while guests relax by a crackling wood fire, red-cheeked and cosy, savouring a special in-the-moment bliss that Danish people have a word for—hygge (“heu-gah”).

Coastal storm watching launched in the mid-’90s and has since gone viral. Enthusiasts pack up rain gear, warm blankets, and books, stock up on goodies, and settle into oceanfront B&Bs, lodges, and cabins. Surfers ride winter waves on exposed beaches, from Sombrio on the island’s southern tip all the way north to Haida Gwaii, where winds regularly hit more than 40 kilometres per hour November through January.

Northern BC’s Cassiar Cannery. Image: Justine Crawford

Winter tempests in BC come in all sizes, shapes, and forms. The Cassiar Cannery, on the coast 25 minutes from Prince Rupert in Northern BC, is a unique spot to watch cold dry air from the province’s Interior blast 600 kilometres (373 miles) down the Skeena River smack into warm, moist Pacific air. The collision makes for a dramatic display of billowing clouds and fog punctured by shafts of vivid, low-angled sunshine.

When you’re huddled up at the sheltered river mouth in a waterfront guest house—restored from one of the region’s historic, century-old salmon-cannery towns—storm watching is an ethereal and sometimes surreal experience. Seven-metre (24-foot) tides move right up to your house-on-stilts. Peak storm month is November. Tip: Expect rain and extraordinary light, so bring something to keep you and your camera dry.

The Logden Lodge in BC’s snowy Kootenay Rockies. Image: Logden Lodge

Inland, there are snow storms to savour. In southeastern BC’s Kootenay Rockies, Logden Lodge is set at the foot of the Selkirk Mountains near Nelson, a stone’s throw from Whitewater Ski Resort. Four secluded cabins on 17 hectares (42 acres) of private wilderness make it easy to disconnect. Gather around a blazing bonfire and watch powder drift from the sky, or enjoy the blizzard from your own private covered verandah, bundled in a blanket sipping hot apple cider or Glühwein—another hygge moment. Then go play in the snow, strapping on snowshoes and hitting the trails outside the door or, if you’re a skier, heading for the mountain.

Not far away, Snowwater Heli Ski is exclusive, all-inclusive mountain chic, with six luxe suites in two alpine guest lodges suited for small-group heli-skiing. End the day with a gourmet meal created by Jeremy Tucker, the stellar summertime chef at CedarCreek Estate Winery. Should a storm ground the choppers, a standby Snowcat tractor means that instead of watching the storm from indoors, you can still make powdery turns on virgin territory. On your last night, the sky explodes with fireworks.

The Eagle’s Eye Suites at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Image: Resorts of the Canadian Rockies

Finally, an exceptional winter-storm-watching spot awaits at the 2,347-metre (7,700-foot) Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden. Two Eagle’s Eye Suites in the chalet offer luxury lodgings, complete with your own butler and private chef. After the gondola shuts down, the peak lodge is all yours—enjoy the fully stocked bar and grand rock fireplace, and the solitude of being the only people on the mountain. Wrap yourself in a blanket and step out onto the deck to embrace the elements as Mother Nature lays down the powder that will guarantee you a pristine, fresh-tracks first run in the morning.

]]>http://blog.hellobc.com/storm-watch-bc-enjoying-winter-weather-cosy-retreat/feed/0Taking Flight: BC’s Fall Bird Migrationhttp://blog.hellobc.com/bc-fall-bird-migration/
http://blog.hellobc.com/bc-fall-bird-migration/#commentsMon, 29 Aug 2016 22:27:49 +0000http://blog.hellobc.com/?p=34045As autumn leaves fall to the ground, birds take to the skies. British Columbia lies in the path of the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory...

]]>As autumn leaves fall to the ground, birds take to the skies. British Columbia lies in the path of the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory thoroughfare between Alaska and Patagonia that stretches some 15,000 kilometres (9,000 miles). “The biggest migration is in the fall because the adults and their young are moving south, roughly tripling their numbers,” says Ann Nightingale, a naturalist volunteering at Victoria’s Rocky Point Bird Observatory.

An eagle takes flight. Photo: Destination BC/Grant Harder

Sooty shearwaters that have come to feed in the rich waters of the North Pacific start their return journey to their breeding grounds in New Zealand. Sandhill cranes head south from the Cariboo Mountains. Williamson’s sapsuckers lift off across Canada’s only patch of true desert, in the South Okanagan. “Vancouver Island is a funnel for raptors,” says Nightingale about her favourite migration. From mid-September, huge numbers of turkey vultures, hawks, falcons, kestrels, harriers, osprey, and eagles gather in East Sooke Park on Southern Vancouver Island before crossing Juan de Fuca Strait. “They are so big and there are so many of them, you don’t even need binoculars.”

Take your binoculars to Delta’s Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary south of Vancouver, one of Canada’s top birdwatching sites. Here, nearly 300 species have been spotted. October and November are spectacular as up to 80,000 lesser snow geese, arriving from Wrangel Island, Russia, after a 5,000-kilometre (3,000-mile) flight, turn land and sky into a blanket of white as they winter at the Fraser and Skagit estuaries.

Attracted by the annual salmon run, raptors perch in riverside trees, swooping down to gorge on fish in the shallows. At Brackendale it’s not unusual to spot hundreds of bald eagles on a single December day from the Squamish River dyke trail (and other trails) or on a Cheakamus River Eagle Float Tour.

Great gray owls, colourful western tanagers and one of the largest concentrations of great blue herons in Western Canada are three of the more than 250 species—including 15,000 migrating waterfowl—that pass through the Kootenay Rockies’ vast Columbia Wetlands. The waterway is such a well-travelled bird route that Invermere holds a week-long Wings Over the Rockies festival every May, complete with guided nature walks, canoe paddling, wildlife photography workshops and art exhibits for lovers of all things avian.